Two categories
Students ≤ 28 years
Over 28
3 best projects per category
For each category, the 3 best projects will be selected and awarded, for a total of 6 winning projects.
Handle with care
2026 / 2027 edition — entries open
Enter the contest
The concept
Care
takes shape.
Reclaimed wood from packaging is the starting point. Everything else begins with listening to people’s needs and with design’s ability to imagine new possibilities.
Objects designed to make everyday actions easier, foster connection, offer comfort or support independence. New forms for wood, creating new value for people.
LISTEN
Start with a real need.
Observe people’s everyday actions, challenges and aspirations, and imagine how design can improve their daily lives.
DESIGN
Turn reclaimed wood into a new possibility. Give it a form, a function and a purpose that respond to the form of vulnerability you have chosen to address.
BUILD
Turn an idea into an object that can make a difference. Create an inclusive, reproducible project that uses materials thoughtfully and can support independence, connection or well-being.
The contest
Call for entries
2026 / 2027
How can reclaimed material respond to a real need?
Rilegno Contest 2026–2027 invites students, designers, architects and all creatives to transform recycled wood from packaging into an object designed for people experiencing different forms of vulnerability.
Not only physical, sensory or cognitive vulnerability, but also emotional, relational, social, educational or temporary conditions. A project can make an everyday action easier, support independence, foster connection, offer comfort or improve daily life.
6 winning projects
€1,000 + €1,000
Each winning project will receive a €1,000 cash prize, awarded to the author or authors.
An additional €1,000 contribution will be donated to a social organization chosen by the participant in agreement with Rilegno.
Special reel prize
€500
A special prize will be awarded to the participant or team that shares their experience of taking part in the Contest in the most original and creative way through an Instagram Reel.
The Reel may showcase the different stages of the work, key moments and the material transformation process, without necessarily revealing the final project.
15 outstanding projects
The jury will also select 15 outstanding projects, which will be featured in the Contest catalogue.
A storytelling exhibition
Rilegno reserves the right to bring together the prototypes of the selected objects in an exhibition dedicated to telling the story of the projects and this edition of the Contest.
The selected projects will also be featured across the Contest’s communication channels and presented to leading national and international architecture and design publications.
Timeline and deadlines
14 May 2026Official launch of the call for entries
14 May 2027Deadline for project submissions
11:59 PM
June 2027Jury deliberations conclude
October 2027Award ceremony
and presentation of the selected projects
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
1.How do I enter?
To participate, complete the online form available at contest.rilegno.org and upload your project PDF by 14 May 2027 at 11:59 PM. You can enter individually or as a team; if you enter as a group, you will need to appoint a team leader.
2.What do we mean by “vulnerability”?
Vulnerability is not understood only in medical or healthcare terms. It may be physical, sensory or cognitive, but also temporary, emotional, relational, social, educational or related to housing conditions. The project should respond to a real need, helping to foster independence, inclusion, comfort, connection or well-being.
3.Does the project have to be made entirely of wood?
No. The main material must be recycled wood from packaging, such as pallets, fruit and vegetable crates, industrial packaging or cork stoppers. Other materials may be used, provided they are kept to a minimum.
4.Do I have to submit five boards?
No. The project must be submitted as a single PDF file of up to 10 MB, containing no more than 5 landscape A3 boards. The boards should present the concept and the need being addressed, explain the project, show the step-by-step construction process, and include technical drawings, renders or photographs of the prototype.
5.Can I submit a project that has already been made or published?
No. The submitted project must be original and unpublished: it must never have been produced or published and must not infringe any third-party rights. Each participant, whether entering individually or as part of a team, may submit one project only.
6.Can I enter as part of a team?
Yes. You can enter individually or as a team. If you enter as a group, you will need to appoint a team leader, who will be responsible for registration and submitting the materials. Each participant or team may submit one project only.
7.How does the special Instagram Reel prize work?
A special €500 prize will be awarded to the participant or team that shares their experience of taking part in the Contest in the most original and creative way through an Instagram Reel. The Reel must be published by 14 May 2027 from a public account, tagging @rilegno and using the hashtags #RilegnoContest2026 and #Rilegno. We recommend focusing on the creative process and the different stages of the work, without necessarily revealing the final project.
The jury of this edition
Jury
Nicola Semeraro
President of Rilegno
Odo Fioravanti
Industrial designer and art director of Rilegno Contest
Giacomo Moor
Designer, founder of Studio Giacomo Moor
Maurizio Riva
Entrepreneur and CEO
of Riva 1920
Mariano Chernicoff
Wood design lecturer
at Politecnico di Milano
Francesco Faccin
Industrial designer and Design lecturer
Anna Meroni
Deputy Dean of the School of Design, Politecnico di Milano
Laura Traldi
Journalist and content curator
Sonia Maritan
Architect, journalist,
poet
Write to us
Questions about the Contest?
For information about the Contest, visit the FAQ section or contact us directly at the dedicated address.
contest@rilegno.org